3-D
Review Online Magazine Celebrates its 3rD Year
 With
this issue, 3-D Review Online Magazine celebrates
its 3rd year of publication. In this issue, the past meets
the future.
As a showing of 1954's Creature from the Black Lagoon
in 3-D flickers once again on the big screen announcements
abound from Hollywood about a new process to convert any 2-D
film to 3-D. We hope you enjoy several articles about this
new digital 3-D process as well as the rest of this anniversary
issue.
Thanks to the people from around the world who have sent
messages, provided products and made 3-D Review Online
Magazine such a success.
Van Beydler - Editor, 3-D Review Online Magazine
Creature
from the Black Lagoon to be shown in 3-D at the historic Missouri
Theatre in Columbia, MO on April 8, 2005
 More
than 50 years after it's release, the last of the classic
Universal Monster films, The Creature from the Black Lagoon,
will be shown on the big screen in 3-D format. Showtime is
at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 8, 2005, at the historic Missouri
Theatre in Columbia, Missouri.
The anaglyphic 3-D presentation is part of the Missouri Theatre
Film Series in conjunction with the Missouri Symphony Society.
The Missouri Theatre opened in 1928. It is located in "The
District" in downtown Columbia, Missouri.
“Not since the beginning of time has the world beheld
terror like this!” Directed by Jack Arnold and originally
brought to the big screen by Universal-International in 1954,
Creature from the Black Lagoon just celebrated its
50th anniversary. The story goes that a scientific expedition
searching for fossils along the Amazon River discover a prehistoric
Gill-Man in the legendary Black Lagoon. The brave explorers
capture the mysterious creature, but it breaks free. The Gill-Man
returns to kidnap the the lovely Kay, fiancée of one
of the scientists, with whom it has fallen in love.
There is a surprise pre-show before the movie! Doors open
at 7 p.m. Those who purchase tickets for this monster movie
classic starring Richard Carlson and Julia Adams will receive
free 3-D glasses at the door! The Creature from the Black
Lagoon is not rated and has a running time of 79 minutes.
In-Three
Inc. announces the debut of its unique Dimensionalization®
Process that Converts Any Flat 2-D Live Action or CGI Feature
Motion Pictures into Fully Realistic 3-D Motion Pictures
 In-Three
Inc., after years of steady development, has announced the
first public screenings of 3-D motion picture images converted
from flat 2-D live action photography. These 3-D images were
converted into fully realistic 3-D by use of In-Three’s
patented Dimensionalization® process.
In-Three’s Dimensionalization® process provides
film makers, studios, and exhibitors with a new solution to
3-D movie making and presentation. In-Three’s Dimensionalization®
process is completely accomplished in post-production and,
as a result, filmmakers now have a powerful new tool at their
disposal and no longer have to concern themselves with the
inherent complexities and difficulties of having to shoot
in 3-D with traditional dual camera systems. Furthermore,
movies converted to 3-D via the Dimensionalization® process
produce no eye fatigue for theatre audiences.
With several exciting movies in the works, exhibitors will
have a flow of 3-D product and theatre audiences will finally
be able to enjoy both new and classic movie features in an
entirely new reality elevated 3-D cinematic experience.
| In-Three
Inc. |
| Company:
Address:
Country:
Phone:
Web:
Summary: |
In-Three
Inc.
29229 Canwood St.
Agora Hills CA, 91301
United States
(818) 991-7775
www.In-Three.com
Founded in 1999 by Michael C. Kaye, In-Three Inc. has
developed a revolutionary patented (and patents pending)
process, called Dimensionalization®, that converts
ordinary 2-D (flat) motion pictures into fully realistic
and engrossing 3-D motion pictures. In-Three’s
Dimensionalization® process finally brings real
3-D imaging into mainstream cinemas by greatly enhancing
the “sense of reality” of the motion picture
viewing experience. In-Three’s Dimensionalization®
process also happens to be perfectly timed with the
new technology of Digital Cinema, which although in
its infancy, will replace decades old 2-D cinema film
projection with an entirely new advanced reality elevated
cinematic experience.
|
James Cameron’s Earthship Productions Inc. called upon
In-Three Inc. to Dimensionalize® clips that will appear
in their upcoming underwater documentary Aliens of the
Deep. “We presented In-Three with a real brainteaser,
chaotic underwater footage of tiny creatures swarming the
lens of our remotely operated 2-D camera. They were not daunted
and the results are remarkable, allowing us to use original
2-D footage as part of our 3-D presentation. Viewers feel
like they are up close and personal with some of the strangest
life forms our planet has to offer, thanks to In-Three,”
said Ed W. Marsh, Creative Producer of Aliens of the Deep.
The films Producer and Director, James Cameron, had this
to say about the remarkable process: "Though I still
love 3-D original photography, the technical solution provided
by In-Three was a welcome addition to our palette of stereo
film-making tools. They were able to add real depth to the
2-D video images captured by our robotic vehicles, and these
shots blended beautifully with our 3-D shots. I predict that
their innovative techniques will continue to expand the possibilities
for 3-D content."
“We were pleased to be asked by Earthship to Dimensionalize®
these shots for their movie,” said Michael C. Kaye,
founder, President and CEO of In-Three Inc. of Agoura Hills,
CA, a 5½ year old company that has been developing
its amazing technology behind the scenes. “Although
the running time of these clips is relatively short, they
fully illustrate our capability to Dimensionalize® any
2-D content, regardless of its image source. It can come from
4:2:2 video, HD, or 16, 35, or 70mm film scanned at any resolution,”
added Kaye.
“Our process is a high quality depth-restoration process
that results in 100 percent authentic 3-D. It is fully resolution
independent. We have finally unveiled our technology, a real
process that works and results in completely believable 3-D
images,” said Kaye. “We have already completed
a multitude of tests for major studios and key filmmakers,
Dimensionalizing® motion picture content at HD, 2K and
even 4K resolutions. Further, our process lends itself perfectly
to the new technology of Digital Cinema, which is actually
capable of projecting 3-D images in digitally-equipped theatres
today,” explained Kaye. “All that the digitally
equipped theatres need to do is simply add our wireless 3-D
glasses and our cleaning system.”
In-Three offers a complete package to theatres for equipping
them with 3-D eyewear and automatic washing units at a very
affordable price. “We use high quality 3-D imaging eyewear
of our own design, not the gimmicky red/blue or passive polarized
glasses used in the past. People will be pleasantly surprised
when they put on comfortable high quality 3-D eyewear that
is available in sizes to fit all ages,” explained Kaye.
An important benefit of In-Three’s Dimensionalization®
process is that it produces no eye fatigue, which is critical
for being able to watch a full-length 3-D feature movie comfortably.
“Our images are as easy to view as normal real world
3-D vision. Audiences will soon discover that they can finally
watch a two or three hour movie with no eye fatigue whatsoever,”
said Kaye.
Although the small number of Dimensionalized® clips in
the documentary Aliens of the Deep represents a modest
public debut for In-Three Inc. and its unique Dimensionalization®
technology, there are actually several exciting full length
Dimensionalized® 3-D major motion pictures that are now
in the works at In-Three for release in the very near future
in digital cinemas.
Dimensionalized® 3-D Premieres at ShoWest 2005
in Las Vegas
An exciting highlight of this year’s ShoWest was the
first public display of Dimensionalized® 3-D feature
motion pictures converted to 3-D by In-Three Inc. In-Three’s
proprietary patented process converts any 2-D feature motion
picture into truly realistic 3-D unlike anything ever seen
before. The event program at Showest was held on Thursday,
March 17, at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. hosted by Texas Instruments.
Star Wars in 3-D
George Lucas introduced In-Three’s segment of the program,
which featured Dimensionalized® 3-D clips from Star
Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones, along with 3-D
clips from other blockbuster movies from Paramount and Disney.
The highlight of the presentation included the screening of
the first six minutes from the original Star Wars A New
Hope (Episode IV) in Dimensionalized® 3-D.
“When I first saw In-Three’s Dimensionalization
process I was truly amazed. The 3-D was of a quality better
than anything I had previously experienced. Seeing my own
Star Wars images in authentic 3-D convinced me that it would
be a whole new way for audiences to be able to re-live the
Star Wars films. "Dimensionalization will significantly
enhance the realism of any movie presented in this process.”
- George Lucas.
Source: DCinemaToday.com
"The first time I saw In-Three’s work over a year
ago all of us at LucasFilm were totally “Wow’d”.
We sat there in amazement seeing our own familiar scenes in
3-D. I was truly stunned that these guys actually developed
a technology that can produce such high quality 3-D pictures.
The realism that they were able to create was unlike anything
I’d ever seen. In-Three has developed an entirely new
post production technology. With In-Three’s 3-D process
film makers no longer have to concern themselves with the
complexity, uncertainties and expense of shooting with dual
cameras. "Believe me, we have seen a lot of 3-D, but
In-Three’s is the only one that delivers. We’re
sold." - Rick McCallum, Producer of Star Wars.
Source: DCinemaToday.com
Randall Kleiser, Director, screened a Dimensionalized®
3-D clip from his movie Grease
"After shooting in 70mm 3-D for Disneyland's
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, I know how complicated
this format can be. With In-Three's technique, completely
convincing depth is created from any two-dimensional film.
George Lucas showed me In-Three's work at I.L.M.. Seeing Star
Wars in 3-D was amazing enough, but when I saw John Travolta
singing Greased Lightning in 3-D I was blown away.
It was just like being back on the set. I know every fan in
the world would come back to the theater again to see a complete
3-D version. "The possibilities are mind-boggling."
- Randall Kleiser, Director of Grease.
Source: DCinemaToday.com
ShoWest attendees were amazed to see Digital Cinema 3-D that
is available today using a single Digital Cinema projector
being fed by one QuVis dual-stream Digital Cinema server using
its standard theatre matte screen. All that is required to
show compelling 3-D movies is to add In-Three’s lightweight
wireless glasses and an inexpensive cleaning unit. Theatre
owners will be pleasantly surprised to discover the low cost
of 3-D Digital Cinema. Theatre owners will discover that they
can now offer for the first time, a compelling 3-D experience
only available in the cinema and not in the home.
In-Three has demonstrated its process and has completed many
tests with the major studios and key film makers including
George Lucas, Stephen Spielberg, Peter Jackson, James Cameron,
Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Tom Cruise, Randal Kleiser
and many others. There is exciting first run major feature
content currently being Dimensionalized® at In-Three
for theatrical release in Digital 3-D Cinemas within a year.
Star
Wars films could be re-mastered in 3-D 
 Don't
start mass-producing those Darth Vader masks with built-in
3-D lenses quite yet.
At last month's ShoWest, George Lucas said he's eager to release
all six films in the Star Wars saga in digital 3-D,
one film a year, starting in 2007. But even though Lucas has
control of the pics and can release them when he chooses,
Lucasfilm says a 3-D Star Wars series will have to
wait.
"No, we don't have any real plans," Star Wars
producer Rick McCallum says. "George had never seen the
footage of the first six minutes of Episode IV until
a week before ShoWest."
Lucas "yearns for it to happen, he wants it to happen,"
McCallum says, "but we can't implement it until the industry
gets its act together and pushes digital cinema forward."
With rumors flying of a possible deal among Sony, Disney
and Warners to finance digital cinema systems for exhibitors,
that day may not be far off. And once the theaters are there,
it won't take long to convert existing films to 3-D.
Michael Kaye prexy-CEO of In-Three Inc., says the company's
process can be used on any film, new or old. "The funny
part is that the producers and filmmakers think there has
to be something they have to do. Just shoot normally, we'll
do (the 3-D)."
The cost for converting a feature film varies, starting around
$5 million.
Right now, Kaye says it might take a year to convert a feature
to 3-D, but he hopes to cut that time to 60-120 days by the
middle of 2006.
That would give Lucas at least a year before he'd need to
start the process of converting any Star Wars feature
to 3-D.
The 3-D release would most likely feature the six films in
numerical order. The original 1977 Star Wars" is
Episode IV. Source - Variety
Appearing as part of a sextet of high-profile directors (James
Cameron, Robert Zemeckis, Peter Jackson, Robert Rodriguez
and Randal Kleiser) promoting 3-D and digital cinema at ShoWest
on Thursday, March 16, Lucas said he hadn't yet committed
to a precise schedule but hoped to have the first film ready
for the 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars
movie in 2007 and that he would then rerelease one Star
Wars film per year in 3-D.
Attendees heard how Lucas dropped plans to shoot Episode
III in 3-D due to logistical problems. He added that converting
a picture from 2-D to 3-D would cost in the region of $5 million.
Meanwhile Cameron said he would only shoot in 3-D in the
future. He urged delegates to take the format seriously and
said it should not be seen "as a gimmick but as the way
the biggest, must-see tentpole movies are going to be seen."
Cameron continued, "We now have a way to get people to
come out from behind those HD flat-screen TVs and into the
theatres."
Cameron is in preproduction on the 3-D film Battle Angel,
planned for a 2007 release. "I can't shoot in a lesser
format," said Cameron, "I believe that 3-D is absolutely
the future. They'll have to pry my glasses out of my cold,
dead fingers."
Zemeckis has two 3-D features in production, and Rodriguez
is readying The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl
in 3-D for release in the summer. Jackson, who is currently
filming King Kong, announced no specific 3-D plans,
but according to sources he has installed a 3-D master suite
in his production offices in New Zealand.
Real 3-Deal for
Mann Theatres
 On
March 14, 2005, Mann Theatres announced that it is installing
a 3-D digital cinema screen at the Mann Chinese VIP Theater
in Hollywood in a deal with the Beverly Hills-based firm REAL
D.
Mann Theatres CEO Peter Dobson said, "With REAL D, our
theaters will be poised to address consumers' demands for
more sophisticated theatrical experiences from their local
multiplex and help in the fight against piracy because of
the extreme difficulty of pirates replicating 3-D movies."
REAL D is installing equipment in Mann Theatres at its own
expense in return for a percentage of each 3-D screen's boxoffice.
REAL D chairman Michael Lewis said, "Instead of say,
$10, the chain will charge $12 to $15. They make more on their
return, the studio makes more, and we take a percentage that
only kicks in on 3-D content played." Execs declined
to name any upcoming films slated to play on the REAL D system.
Thursday, March 17, at ShoWest, Lucas was expected to discuss
3-D as part of a digital cinema panel. He is expected to project
a digitally remastered 3-D excerpt from one of the Star
Wars movies, though not Revenge of the Sith.
According to sources familiar with developments in the field,
Lucas has contacted the Agoura Hills, California based firm
In-Three about the possibility of remastering all his Star
Wars movies for 3-D. As part of its technology, In-Three
also provides theaters with 3-D glasses and cleaning devices.
James Cameron, who also was expected to be in attendance,
has used In-Three to remaster portions of his documentary
Aliens of the Deep. Although Cameron shot the footage
with a high-definition video stereoscopic rig, portions were
massaged by In-Three during post production to enhance certain
3-D effects.
IMAX Announces
2-D to 3-D Conversion Technology but Gives No Details
Max Corp., the large-screen exhibitor, announced a new technology
that would make it possible to convert any conventional 2-D
35mm film for the 3-D screen environment. IMAX did not give
any details about the technology and no studio has yet signed
on to create any large format 3-D films using the unknown
process. Most, if not all, 3-D films shown on IMAX screens
so far have used 3-D technology from other sources.
Warner Brothers' 3-D version of The Polar Express
uses Sony Pictures Imageworks proprietary Imagemotion™
process. The film contains animation work from Sony Pictures
Imageworks and Universal CGI.
Tom
Wilson's Pop Fun Art
 From
View-Master® viewers to Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots®,
Tom Wilson's paintings have captured pop culture at it's most
basic level, through the toys we all grew up with. Tom Wilson’s
paintings can best be described by the reactions they receive,
a moment of joyful surprise and happy longing.
"My intimate knowledge of what it’s like to be
an object of pop culture has inspired me to embrace and examine
the joy of memory, and the curious thrill of pop recognition,"
said Wilson. "We love the toys that we played with, or
longed for, just as we love the movies we’ve seen, some
of them more for the memory of a time and place than the films
themselves. Our pasts are sacred to us, and whether our early
years bring easy smiles, or the distant rumble of thunder
long past, there is an undeniable magic that surrounds pieces
of clean, colorful plastic, made for us by giant corporations
that told us 'Buy this, hold it in your hands, and all will
be well.' Somehow, we believed them, and sometimes, we still
do. Bottom line: These paintings are fun and I love looking
at them."
After studying fine art photography at U.C.L.A., Wilson followed
the path from photography, to mixed media works, until he
finally found a home in color and canvas. Tom studied drawing
and painting at the Art Academy of Los Angeles, as well as
the California Art Institute, followed by extensive study
in painting with the noted abstract painter Rene Amitai, as
well as the renown California impressionist Arthur Bjorn Egeli.
His career in the arts began on the stage, as an actor, comedian
and writer who has shared the stage and screen with a who’s
who of the entertainment industry, making hundreds of television
appearances around the world, including The Today Show,
Good Morning, America, CBS This Morning, The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, Good Morning,
Great Britain and Tonight Live in Australia,
as well as a televised royal premiere for the benefit of the
Prince’s Trust, where he was received and congratulated
by Princess Diana herself.
His career on stage began in the theatre, studying in New
York, which led down an unusual path of starvation and opportunity
to the stages of comedy clubs, where he performed for many
years, headlining across the country. After moving to Los
Angeles, he was accepted as a regular at the world famous
Comedy Store, performing with the “Comedy Store Players,”
improvising onstage with Richard Pryor, Robin Williams and
Jim Carrey when he was 21 years old. He was soon cast in episodic
television shows, commercials and eventually was cast as “Biff,”
Michael J. Fox’s beefy nemesis, in the classic Back
To The Future trilogy of films. A long string of movie
roles followed, with the opportunity to work with legendary
directors such as John Frankenheimer, Stuart Rosenberg, Taylor
Hackford, Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg and Steve Oedekerk.
He has appeared as a recurring guest star on the television
series Ed, Do Over, Freaks and Geeks, Titus,
Fired Up and Maggie, as well as Boston Public,
Two and a Half Men and many, many others.
As a writer, his fiction has been published in the literary
magazines Amelia, West Word, Ipsissima verba and
nonfiction and editorial writing have appeared in The
New Yorker, Envoy, Us, P.C. Games and on the PBS.com
Web site as part of the Frontline series. He’s
been a development writer under contract at Disney, Universal
and Film Roman studios, and his writing recently appeared
in the anthology Sacred Passages by Bert Ghezzi,
published by Doubleday.
He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Caroline, and their
four children.
On April 29, 2005, he’ll be the first actor to host
a solo exhibition of his paintings at Nickelodeon Studios.
Traditionally, these shows have been limited to the animation
artists at Nickelodeon, but Tom is breaking new ground.
“These are unapologetically fun, colorful, beautiful
paintings of things that I like to look at,” he says
about the paintings of bicycles, yoyos, balsa wood model airplanes,
Popsicles® and ray guns he’s exhibiting, among others.
These paintings are making a splash in the art world and beyond,
with bold colors and pop fun, grounded in trained technique.
How did Tom come to paint toys from the past? He says, “I’ve
spent my entire adult life as an “object” of pop
culture. I get stared at in airports, restaurants and supermarkets,
and somewhere in those eyes is the joy of memory, that curious
thrill of pop recognition that’s so powerful, yet hard
to explain. These paintings are as close as I can get to explain
it. These objects make us feel good, more for the memory of
a time and place than for the objects themselves. I love them
and I paint them as dramatic still life pieces of art, because
they are beautiful and I know how they feel."
The Nickelodeon exhibition is open to the public until May
31, 2005, with an artist’s reception on Friday, April
29, 2005 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Nickelodeon Studios at 231 West
Olive Avenue in Burbank, California.
Posters, prints and even original artwork can be purchased
from Tom
Wilson's Big Pop Fun Web site.
Spongebob
Squarepants Ocean Motion 3-D Ride
 SpongeBob
Squarepants will star in a deep-sea 3-D motion simulator movie
ride at the Paramount Action F/X Theatre at Canada's Wonderland.
The adventure is the world's only ocean motion movie ride!
Theatre Features
The film system is an iWERKS 570-format film projection system.
The theatre takes up 15,000 square feet with two, four level
terrace sub-theatres holding a joint capacity of 128 people.
Ride time lasts four minutes. The ride can host 2,220 riders
per hour. A minimum height of 44-inches is required for the
motion seats.
Kodak
Stereo 3-D Display
 The
Kodak Stereo 3-D Display lets people experience rich, full-color
images as never before. Viewers feel as if they are surrounded,
even immersed in the image without the use of special glasses
or other cumbersome headgear.
Our stereo display technology represents a dramatic breakthrough
over lenticular, parallax and barrier screen monitors, delivering
outstanding image quality, incredible depth of field, SGXA
resolution and the simplicity of plug-and-play.
At the heart of the system is a Kodak-patented monocentric
ball lens that provides a generous 45 degree horizontal field
of view, giving users the experience of viewing a 60-inch
image from just three feet away. It's like having an IMAX
movie theater right on your desktop.
Because field of view is directly related to the physical
size of the unit, our display is perhaps larger than other
display technologies. However, with a footprint only slightly
larger than a 21-inch monitor, it is very workable in a desktop
or laboratory environment. Our engineers also have the capability
of scaling the unit to meet the requirements of a wide range
of applications.
Maximum User Comfort
With parallax or lenticular systems, it is often difficult
for the operator to find the optimum viewing position without
encountering leakage, flicker or cross-talk from mixing left
and right images. The KODAK display simplifies viewer positioning
by providing multiple 24mm pupils positioned perfectly for
viewing the sweet spot. As the user's eyes are positioned
in the pupils, a large, high resolution image is displayed
with exceptional contrast and brightness. A cowling is employed
over the display panels to block out any distracting or stray
lighting and to control the overall quality of the projected
image.
Changing users usually doesn't require changing any set-up
commands or controls with the Kodak monitor. And because our
monitor is focused on infinity, eye strain and user fatigue
is dramatically reduced, allowing viewers to use it for longer
periods of time and maximum productivity.
True Stereo Display
Another advantage of our technology is that it doesn't require
the additional cost of expensive, customized video cards or
high-end desktop computers. It is compatible with the PC,
Macintosh or SGI system you are currently working on.
Using an off-the-shelf video card-such as AGP G-Force4, NVIDIA
or any Micrososft DirectX-, Direct 3D or Open GL-compatible
cards-the Kodak display accepts two separate video signals
of 1280 x 1024 (SXGA) resolution to create the separate left
and right eye signals on multiple 17-inch flat panel LCD monitors
for true stereo display. Providing each eye with a different
image makes Kodak's stereo display unique in the marketplace.
Potential Markets and Applications
We designed our high-end stereo display for applications requiring
crisp images with outstanding, true-to-life color and maximum
detail, including
- Data Visualization—molecular modeling and genomics,
chemical modeling, oil and gas exploration, weather forecasting.
- Medical—diagnostic, training, telemedicine, therapeutic
- Engineering—computer-assisted design (CAD), new
product design, virtual prototyping, computer-assisted manufacturing
(CAM), architecture, landscape construction
- Military/Security—training simulators, baggage scanning,
intelligence analysis, surveillance
- Entertainment—broadcast, film, video, arcade games,
theme parks
- Virtual Trade—e-showrooms, virtual tours, trade
show booths
- Education—museums displays, teaching aids
Overcoming
the Stigma of 3-D: James Cameron's Aliens of the Deep
by Spence D Courtesy of www.filmforce.ign.com
 First
there was Ghosts of the Abyss, his excursion to the
Titanic, which used cutting edge technology to access areas
of the sunken legend hitherto unreachable. Now comes Aliens
of the Deep, in which Cameron explores the thermal pockets
and seismic volcanoes of the ocean floor. What both of these
projects have in common, other than Cameron and a carefully
selected group of scientists, is that they are both rendered
in high-definition 3-D. So even though these films are more
closely related to the documentary, they still take full advantage
of Cameron's love of technology and next-generation effects.
Yet, even though the 3-D employed by Cameron is top-of-the-line,
the process, or rather the effect is still largely stigmatized
by the general public, a populace who collectively remember
the clumsy red and blue glasses and hokey floating imagery
of the '50s sci-fi schlockers. In short, 3-D is by and large
regarded as a gimmick. "Was it a gimmick in Aliens
of the Deep?" the director asks somewhat rhetorically.
"We improved the technology a little bit (from Ghosts
of the Abyss), mostly in terms of image clarity. I'm
not a hundred percent satisfied with the stereo, or the 3-D,
in this film versus what we'll do for Battle Angel,
but that has more to do with the fact that this was a documentary
where we were two miles down shooting and squid would come
flying by with no warning. It wasn't like 'Okay, cue the squid.'
You get what you get. But in a feature format we'll be able
to really control the stereo, make it very easy on the eyes
and so on."
"I think it's an aesthetic," Cameron continues.
"You choose your aesthetic when you work in 3-D, just
like you make all your various aesthetic decisions as a filmmaker;
color, filtration, diffusion, desaturation, black and white
versus color, all these types of choices. 3-D has its own
choices that you make. You can constantly be generating stuff
that pokes the audience in the eye or you can use it to create
a sense of a window into a reality that they get to share.
That's what cinema does in a general sense, but I think with
3-D there's a heightened sense of physical presence for the
audience in the moment. But if it's not comfortable, if it's
dark, then you're not enjoying the experience. There's been
a lot of bad 3-D exhibition."
 Given
the stigma attached to 3-D, but also taking into consideration
the technological advances over the past 30 years, how does
Cameron ensure that audience members will have that heightened
sense of physical presence when watching his latest film?
"The cameras that we developed have been used for the
two films that I've released in the IMAX platform and Robert
Rodriguez used them for Spy Kids 3-D. But he released
the film using the anaglyphic red/blue process, because that
was something that could be done very widely, very easily.
But it's just such a horrible experience that in a way it's
a setback for stereo. Although the film still made a lot of
money, which is a good sign and it's not a bad use of 3-D
if you see it properly presented. Unfortunately at that time
the only way they had to do a wide release was to do it anaglyphic,
which gives everything that chromatic shimmer to it and it
will give any sane adult a headache.
"What we're hoping to do, you're familiar with the
digital cinema evolution or revolution that is taking place
where the studios are getting together to replace all the
theaters in North America, and eventually worldwide, in the
next six-seven-eight years with digital projection. The digital
projection is of a very high caliber, 2K projection machines,
which are spectacular, and we've worked with the projector
manufacturers to make sure that they are compatible with stereo
projection. So what you'll have is something that's never
existed before: the sort of gorgeous image quality of an IMAX
theater readily available everywhere in 3-D. So for the first
time I think it's really possible and practical to do a large
budget film in 3-D. It was never really practical before because
it was always a gimmick and you did a smaller film and promoted
the hell out of it as a 3-D experience and it always sort
of came and went in these faddish waves. Hopefully what will
happen is that we can establish it as a legitimate choice
for a filmmaker to make a film in stereo without it primarily
being sold as a 3-D experience."
Capturing the 3-D experience in a way that is neither gimmicking
nor overpowering is something that Cameron is very passionate
about. But then he's always been passionate about discovering
the latest advances in technology and then incorporating them
into his films. "My primary motivation is that I just
love the way it looks and I enjoy the technical challenges
of working in stereo," he enthuses. "I think about
the films I've made, like Titanic for example. If I could
do it using the cameras I have now I know it would be a much
richer visual experience. But I'm not prepared to go back
to the type of shooting I was doing before. So I'm stuck in
the middle until the studios can provide me with the theaters
to show digital 3-D, which is happening now. It's all happening
at the right time."
3-D Screen Tracks
Movement Using Light Beam and No Glasses
 A
German research institute has developed a screen that requires
no special glasses to display three-dimensional images and
can be viewed even from the side.
The display is meant to help architects and engineers visualize
their designs or to make flight simulators more realistic.
Doctors at the German University of Tuebingen have used it
to train for minimally invasive surgery.
The screen, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications
and displayed at the annual CeBIT technology fair in the German
city of Hannover generates two slightly different images to
make objects appear three-dimensional.
A lens in front of the display directs one beam of light
toward the left eye of the viewer and a second beam toward
the right, making 3-D glasses unnecessary.
If the viewer moves to the side, a camera at the top of the
display registers the movement and adjusts the lens. The Berlin-based
Fraunhofer Institute also shows a 3-D kiosk that uses the
display, intended for high-tech showrooms.
The screen is mounted on a table that has cameras and infrared
sensors hidden below the surface, which pick up on gestures,
allowing the viewer to skip through images or rotate a three-dimensional
object by pointing and moving the hand.
Pictures from Mars, hazardous industrial environments, operating
rooms, or of components or a colleague on the other side of
the world deliver a more realistic effect when displayed in
3-D. This aspect is also important for design engineers, whether
they are designing aircraft, new houses or parts for cars.
The drafting and designing work is still performed as usual
in two dimensions. "We can link the display to a traditional
CAD workstation," explains Klaus Schenke from HHI. "The
designer works as normal, except that with the click of a
button, the component currently being worked on can be displayed
in 3-D. This makes it easier to assess the final design and
its functionality."
The monitor displays the objects in three dimensions with
photo-realistic quality. The models appear to be freely suspended
in front of the monitor, similar to a hologram. In order to
provide a sense of depth on a two-dimensional display, the
system generates two separate images, one for the right eye
and one for the left. These images are broken down into fine
vertical strips and arranged in alternating sequence side
by side. A special lens in front of the display handles the
proper optical addressing, replacing the shutter glasses that
are usually needed for the effect. The curved surface of the
lens diffracts the light from the display in two directions.
The beams assigned to the right eye are »shifted«
slightly to the right, those intended for the left eye to
the left. So that the viewer always receives the proper images
for the corresponding eye, a camera affixed to the monitor
records the position of the head. If the user moves, the lens
array are automatically shifted to adjust to the new line
of sight.
Trade show visitors will be able to test for themselves
what live 3-D images look like using their own likeness. A
stereo camera will be installed at the stand. The pictures
it takes will be forwarded directly to the display, where
they will be used to generate the images, live, in color and
in 3-D. "What at first may sound like just another trade
show stunt actually has a consequential background,"
according to Schenke. "Designers and contractors from
different cities or even different parts of the world can
use this method to discuss plans, including the spatial aspects,
but without the need for shutter glasses or expensive virtual
reality rooms." Another scenario concerns the use of
robots, which are often controlled manually during dangerous
assignments, such as disarming bombs or searching for fire
victims. Images that have depth would simplify the work of
robot controllers. Because the operator sees a realistic image,
almost as if he were actually on the scene, he can control
the robot with a much higher degree of precision.
Consumer electronics companies Philips from the Netherlands
and Sharp from Japan are also developing 3-D displays that
do not require special glasses. But because they do not yet
track the viewer's movements, they require a viewer to choose
the best position and remain there.
Perficere
and Provence at The 3-D Center of Art and Photography April
1 through May 15, 2005
Starting April 1, get ready for a totally immersive 3-D experience
coming to The 3-D Center of Art and Photography in Portland,
Oregon.
In the gallery
Perficere wraps visitors in a 360-degree
panorama exploring space, depth and perception in a murky,
moody, yet beautiful world. Artists Adrienne Taggart and Ted
Grudowski will appear at the artists’ reception on from
6 until 9 p.m on April 7.
Perficere, the newest installation by Adrienne Taggart
and Ted Grudowski is an immersive 3-D experience that transports
the viewers to another world. Its opening at the 3-D Center
marks a departure for the more traditional 3-D imagery, which
has been featured in the past. The exhibit is contained within
a 360-degree enclosure which completely surrounds the viewer.
Grudowski and Taggart have been working together on installations
with stereo photo-collages since 2002 with The Sky Is
Falling: New Perspectives In Stereo, introduced at Vital
5 Productions in Seattle.
Subsequent exhibitions include the 2003 Bumbershoot Arts
Festival where Circumambient Tribunal (The Way Ahead,
The Far Behind) premiered in a group exhibition entitled
The Last Judgment Project, and The Port of Seattle
, currently on display at SeaTac International Airport .
Grudowski graduated in 1992 with a BA in photography from
Southern Illinois University, where he first began developing
his photo-collage style. Since moving to Seattle , he has
contributed work to groups shows at COCA's Northwest Annual,
Benham Studio Gallery, Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery
and Vital 5 Productions and has been featured in Photo
District News. He is currently a multimedia producer
for MSN.com's entertainment Web site.
Taggart is primarily self-taught, and since moving to Seattle
from Salt Lake City has worked as a commission and non-commission
artist. She works in various media including blacksmithing,
metal casting and fabrication, woodworking, glass, lighting
and found objects to create a harmonious environment and feel
in her work and has exhibited work in the 2001 Pratt School
of Glass Annual Art Option . She currently is an independent
contractor and remodels residential homes.
Stereo Theatre
The stereo theatre will present Provence, an award
winning slide show capturing the charm and joie de vivre of
the French countryside. Photographed by Albert Sieg, the Photographic
Society of America’s most honored stereographer. The
program will be shown hourly.
With images taken during a summer trip through Provence ,
France , Sieg has captured a mood and flare for living that
is typically French. Each image is a visual delight.
Sieg has been active as a photographer and especially as a
stereophotographer for more than 40 years. His stereograms
have been accepted in all major exhibitions and currently
he is the world's leading exhibitor in stereo photography.
He has had more than 1800 pictures accepted for exhibition
and is recognized by the Photographic Society of America (PSA),
Stereo Division as having the highest rank of Master Stereographer
XVI. During this time his stereograms have been consistently
recognized with the top awards of the exhibitions, winning
more than 400 awards. His stereograms have won the Stereo
slide of the Year Award numerous times, and he has been the
winner of the Stereo Sequence Award several times. His photographs
have been published in several journals and in publications
of the Eastman Kodak Company.
He is a member of PSA having received the Honorary PSA and
Fellow. He is immediate past President of the Society, a past
chairman of the Stereo Division, a member and Fellow of the
Third Dimension Society in England , a member of the National
Stereoscopic Society and is the Past President of the International
Stereoscopic Union, a worldwide organization of stereographers.
He is a founding member of the Japan 3D Society. He has presented
numerous stereo programs.
The 3-D Center of Art and Photography is located at 1928
NW Lovejoy in Portland, Oregon. Call (503) 227-6667.
3-D
Stereoscopic Weekend coming to Cleveland, Ohio, April 30 and
May 1, 2005
 The
National Stereoscopic Association Eastern Midwest Regional
Meeting, sponsored by the National Stereoscopic Association
and Ohio Stereo Photographic Society, will be held on April
30 and May 1, 2005 in the Sheraton Hotel at the Cleveland
Hopkins International Airport. The event will include stereoscopic
presentations, exhibits, slide shows, a trade show and auction.
Saturday April 30, 2005
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stereoscopic presentations and exhibits
6 p.m. Consignment auction conducted by John Waldsmith (preview
at 6 p.m, auction starts at 7 p.m)
Sunday, May 1, 2005
10 a.m. to 4 pm. Trade Show. Dealer set up begins 7 a.m. with
early bird admission starting at 9 a.m.
For questions about the trade show, contact John Waldsmith,
Auctioneer and Show Manager at P.O. Box 83, Sharon Center,
OH 44274, (330) 239-1944 or e-mail vansywalsy@aol.com.
The auction
catalogue is available online. Enter Zip Code 44135 and
Keyword: Stereoscopic then click on April 30 date.
For more information about the 3-D Stereoscopic Weekend
Presentations and Registration contact National Stereoscopic
Association Regional Director George Themelis, 10243 Echo
Hill Dr, Brecksville, OH 44141, (440) 838-4752 or e-mail DrT-3d@att.net.
|